Burnt and Let Go

1 Cor 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?

:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

:7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

:8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

:9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, you are God’s building.

:10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

:11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

:12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,

:13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.

:14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.

:15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

When we stand before Him, we will give an account as to whether or not we lived in ways that were consistent with His will.

Things we do to advance His kingdom will survive the fire. Anything we do to advance ourselves won’t.

Lk 9:62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back  is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Have you seen the movie “Frozen”? Or have you heard the song from the movie “Let it go”?

There are things in our lives we need to let go of.

1.       The past

Some have a hard time letting go of the past. God has forgiven it so grab hold of the future and press on because carrying around your past will slow you down every time.

Phil 3:13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.

:14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Remember Paul’s past? He tortured Christians among other things.

Paul had a lot of past to let go of. If he had continued to carry his past with him, he never would have accomplished so much for Christ.

2.       Relationships

It’s sad to have to let go of relationships, but sometimes it’s necessary.

Ask yourself how do your friends influence you?

Pr 4:14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil.

:15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on.

2 Cor 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

:15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

3.       Anxieties

I struggle with anxiety sometimes. It’s probably more of a control thing. I like when I can control things and you can’t control everything in life. That’s when the anxiety creeps in. I have to let it go and give it to Jesus.

1 Pet 5:7 Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Ps 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

4.       Bitterness

This is a hard one. It can cause you to stagnate in your walk with the Lord.

Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

Bitterness makes people angry. It causes ugly words to be said.

Instead:

Eph 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Some of us have a problem of holding on to the wrong things. No one else can let go of these things for you. You have to do it yourself. Those things may be the things mentioned above or other things such as guilt, hurt feelings, or resentment.